Real vs Sim: A Legendary Experience at the 'Green Hell'

[gamer19]

So that's where tax payers money goes !!!
Finally a revelation !
Private parties, luxury holidays abroad...
Driving miss Daisy this time.

 

[MarkR]

Absolutely, as far as learning tracks, driving a car similar to what you will really drive, it is a great tool and will speed up your learning curve. This is not the same as saying it is just like the real thing, which is not the case.

Still for most of us, it is the closest we will ever get and that is already fantastic, as our mind will feel the gap and the immersion for me sometime is puzzling.
VR is a big help and lately the addition of tactile for road vibration in my seat and wheel complement the FFB nicely and makes me reach new level of immersion.

I fully agree with you and sim driving/racing has no less appeal to me even when I've (truly gratefully) had many opportunities to drive all sorts of cars on tracks and even a couple of stages.

I as much enjoy doing this in our racing games:

Matching the real world Megane RS265 Trophy lap in Forza 7. I know some will say 'yeah but Forza' yet the Megane in Forza at the 'ring is closer to the real car feeling than in any other game so far. It is definitely possible to learn a lot about driving the 'ring even from Forza, just don't expect to be as confident or be able to push as hard for real in my experience!

As I enjoy doing this for real:

We'd run various Honda's as our track cars for a few years (S2000 and various Type R's) and this was the last run out on track at Pembrey for the FN2 Type R (mechanical LSD, Toyo R888 tyres) before we sold it. I was interested to see how much quicker my daily driver Cupra (VAQ electronic differential and Michelin PS Cup 2 tyres) would be as the hot hatch power war had really moved on at that point. No timing is allowed on track days but the video taken from the same start line crossing point gives a good idea. I picked this one from many of our videos because the boys were using the Golf R and the Cupra is as good as the same thing.

Yes, the real track is great fun and I'd encourage anyone to give it a go but I still find sim driving just as exciting. The reality is no matter how much time or money anyone has it would be near impossible to experience the range of cars and tracks we have access to in sim racing.

I see a few posts worried about crashing and accidents (and signing expensive waivers!) Yes they do happen on track days, this was an accident again at Pembrey. He'd been pushing this Megane all day and was showing off giving fast passenger rides, lost it through the fast left-hander at Dibeni and rolled it into the tyre wall. There is no getting away from the fact crashing in a game has no consequences, is a lot cheaper and hurts less.

However, we've been attending track days for well over 15 years and in hundreds of laps have never been involved in an accident with another car or any track furniture! At least on track, everyone is apart from the occasional spin, going in the same direction. As long as you keep your ego in check and don't expect to be the fastest and in my opinion, spend money on good instruction, you'll be fine. As @Bram Hengeveld already mentioned you will have to get used to being overtaken quite a lot, to begin with, there is a different flow to the way tracks work. Believe me, you'll be popular with the faster people if you are courteous and let them through, then once you are one of the fast drivers you'll be glad of the same behaviour from others. There are always plenty of friendly people willing to help at track days - I give a lot of passenger laps - so get talking to others and enjoy.

I'll stop now, I love these sim/game/real-world cross over threads and it's great to see the likes of Lando Norris capturing the imagination of the next generation of sim racers!

 

[Majuh]

I hope you also visited the Nürburg and said hello to the flying ants on the tower.

 

[JamieG]

Well written article. It transposed all the adrenaline you got at the most amazing racing track.
Thanks for sharing

 

[avenger82]

So true, amen to those two statements. Thank you Paul.
I love SIM driving and drive my rig almost every day, but I also done real track days.
Please, I hope I will never read again in this and other forum, sim x is just like the real thing, no it is not! Not even close.
Our hobby is amazing as is, love it to bits, but not the same as the real thing.

You probably haven't tried Project Cars 2 in VR yet I guess PC3 will be better than RL minus g-forces etc.

 

[E304LIFE]

Congrats. I'm a teenie bit jealous, as I'm on the wrong side of the ocean to make that bit of fun a reality.

 

[avenger82]

Nothing, I mean absolutely nothing whatsoever prepares you for the sheer thrill and excitement that comes from pushing a 300+ bhp car around a legendary venue like the 'Green Hell'. Every bump, every camber, every rise and fall of the circuit are so alive and prominent in your hands and feet - its literally like having every single sense heightened to places you never thought possible - for 10 whole minutes of adrenaline fuelled nirvana. I've done nothing that comes close to the pleasure that gave me, and unless we go back, I'm likely to never reach that high again. I

Yes, but it doesnt mean skills can’t transfer from sim:
https://www.reddit.com/r/rfactor2/comments/d2pq6v/sim_racer_to_real_life/
https://www.reddit.com/r/rfactor2/comments/d2pq6v/sim_racer_to_real_life/

 

[marek2209]

So I have watched the vid, finally..
Just one question @Paul Jeffrey
Did you know the track before, from sim racing? It has been quite a nice lap, especially considering you are normally driving on the wrong side
I will probably go to the Nordschleife this Sunday in the afternoon/evening, for 2 or 3 laps (as a birthday gift)
..With my own car (Golf 7 GTI).. Hope the tyres and brakes will make it